Time-saving hacks for runners

Finn Melanson [00:00:09]: Hello, fellow runners. I'm your host, Finn Melanson, and this is the Run to the Top podcast. The podcast Dedicated to making you a better runner with each and every episode. You're created and produced by the expert team of coaches at runnersconnect.net where you can find the best running information on the Internet as well as training plans to fit every runner and every budget. Every runner knows the best workout is the one you actually do, but it can be hard to find the Time for consistently sticking with your training program. Luckily, there are ways to improve your training without taking time away from other activities We're even cutting down on the time required for your current workout routine. If this sounds too good to be true, you'll wanna keep listening because our expert team of coaches have compiled their favorite Time saving hacks to make you a more time efficient runner. For runners with big goals, all of the training time can add up, Especially when you consider non running activities like cross training, rehab, or even extra meal prep and laundry loads.

Finn Melanson [00:01:14]: Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, but with a few small tweaks, you might be able to save lots of time so you can make room for other important activities in your life. You'll have to stick around to hear a full list of time saving hacks. But to give you a sneak preview, the list will include creative ways to make your runs more time efficient, Tips to make fueling your runs less of a chore, ways to combine some of your favorite workout activities, and many other tips and tricks to cut down on training time. Your time is limited, and we've got lots of great tips to get you through. So let's jump right in with time saving hacks for runners. This podcast is brought to you by MedPro, World renowned concierge nutrition and fitness coaching company. Head to metpro.coforward/rtt to get a complimentary metabolic profiling assessment and a 30 minute consultation with a MedPro expert. Muscle health plus combines clinically effective doses of creatine, HMB, BCAAs and estrogen to make the most comprehensive muscle health supplement available.

Finn Melanson [00:02:24]: Head to runnersconnect.net forward slash muscle and use code r t t t fifteen to save 15% off your first order.

Cory Nagler [00:02:38]: Welcome back, RC listeners. If you're like me, Finding time for training is always a challenge. I get it. You're busy. Luckily, there's a lot of cool ways you can save time without sacrificing performance. We're gonna call these time saving hacks, and I've got coach Andy Cozzarelli here with me to share some of our favorites from the RC team.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:02:59]: Yeah. Thanks for having me. I feel like I'm used to be an expert in this, so excited to share.

Cory Nagler [00:03:06]: Absolutely. I think this is a topic a lot of people, runner or non runner, will, self proclaim to be an expert in because a lot of us feel short on time.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:03:14]: Yep. For sure.

Cory Nagler [00:03:16]: Cool. Well, I'll get right into it with our 1st time saving hack, which I absolutely love, which is using a jogging rest to build mileage while you recover rather than standing rest. What do you think about this one?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:03:30]: Yeah. I it's definitely like a if you're especially if you're trying to kind of figure out a way to get a certain mileage for the week, and you only have so much time that you can actually devote to running is the days that you do run, you could pretty much just, you know, get a little bit more mileage out of the day by using that jogging rest so that you're getting just a little bit more, you know, within a workout. So this is particularly pertains to If you have intervals or something like that where you have rest in between your intervals, that's what this is specifically talking about. So It it's kind of more one of those things that it's like, say, you have time on Tuesday, but Wednesday Thursday, you're not gonna have time to run, but you wanna get your mileage up. This is a really good way to kinda get a little bit more mileage on the single day that you do have the time. And that way, you can kind of rest and take that time that you don't have, those next 2 days to recover and stuff like that. So, this is one of those things that's just kind of, like, helpful for overall time on feet, Increasing that. It's also a beneficial way to, build some of your capacity for for training.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:04:37]: So being able to jog the rest in between is kind of it's it's decreasing your actual recovery time, But, it's it that actually can be beneficial if you can hold a a jogging rest in between anyway. So there is a benefit from a training standpoint as Well, when you do, this type of thing. So

Cory Nagler [00:04:56]: Yeah. I really love this one, especially when you have a workout on the day and you're trying to fit in a specific amount of mileage within that workout, I think it makes it a lot easier and a lot quicker if you can kind of fit those 2 pieces together. But if you're a runner who hasn't done this before, it can maybe be a little tricky to figure out how that fits in. So let's say you're used to doing mile repeats with 2 minute standing rest. How might you transition something like that into a jogging rest?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:05:22]: Yeah. You might want to slightly increase that rest. It kinda depends on how you're feeling within the workout, Or it also depends kind of how how fatigue you're feeling from the paces, but I I'd say my general, I guess maybe not increase the rest because that changes the workout. I'd say, actually, now I'm backpedaling a little bit. Back off the actual pace on the intervals so that you can keep that jogging interval in between. So keep the 2 minutes, and try to just keep it to a light jog. I it's actually surprising to me that how what a difference it makes. There's days where I can tell that if when I'm jogging in between the intervals, I Feel more fatigued through the workout, and sometimes I'll start to transition to walking if I'm feeling pretty fatigued towards the end.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:06:07]: And it's amazing what a difference that makes, but, Yeah. I it might take a little bit for you to feel comfortable and to feel good throughout the workout with the jogging rest, but, so I would say that the first thing you wanna do is back off the paces, and then it doesn't have to be a fast jog. It doesn't have to be anything crazy. Even just kind of a really light, slower than your easy paced jog, will still get you a little bit further. So, nothing nothing too drastic differently here, and work your way into it. Listen to your body. Start slower than you think you might need. And then as you get accustomed to it, you'll you'll find that it's a little bit more it's a little bit easier for you to keep up.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:06:49]: And the other benefit of it, You know, especially this time of year is, when it's cold out, keeping a jogging rest actually helps to keep your body temperature up so you don't get quite as cold in between intervals. So It's actually probably a great thing to start trying out even right now. So

Cory Nagler [00:07:06]: Yeah. No. That's a huge advantage I find in the wintertime that you can keep moving. I'll also add as a bonus. Not that we promote that this should be your top priority, but if you're worried about the Stravastats, it does sometimes give you a much quicker average pace.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:07:20]: That's true. Honestly, my workout today was just alternating pace, so my recovery was not a real recovery. It was only, like, 30 seconds slower than the pace I was aiming for on the on portions. And it was funny looking back at my Strava because, like, then it looks just to say I ran, like, 5 fast miles. But, Yeah. It's pretty it's a it is definitely a little bit of a, a performance stat there you can boast to your friends on Strava.

Cory Nagler [00:07:46]: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. This would be a whole other topic in itself, but especially if you get into kind of a float recovery where it's a little bit quicker.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:07:54]: I

Cory Nagler [00:07:54]: know my my coach has done these 38, 40 k workouts. That'll be 3:30 a kilometer. That's that must be in the ballpark of 5 to 5:30 a mile, so ridiculously fast.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:08:05]: Yep.

Cory Nagler [00:08:05]: Wow. Okay. I'll move on to our next time saving hack, and I really like this one too, but it's to make your workout time based rather than distance based. Angie, why does this one help to save time?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:08:18]: So I find this one to be super valuable because you can actually quantify exactly how long it's going to take you. So the The way that this would work is say your workout was, you know, 2 2 mile warm up, 6 by 800, 2 mile cool down. Instead of thinking about it from the distance standpoint, Break that into just a time based. So you could do something like 15 minute warm up instead of 2 miles, which may be shorter than what you would How long 2 miles might take you, but it's still a decent amount of time for a warm up. So 15 minutes is is plenty of time to kinda get the body moving and and that kind of stuff. And then when you start the workout, instead of doing it in terms of distance, you can turn those intervals into a time, so something similar to maybe what you might be running For those intervals, say your goal was 8 minute pace on those, run for 4 minutes and just do 4 minute intervals with, whatever recovery was already set in the workout. Maybe it's 1 minute or 2 minutes. So sticking with that and and then maybe doing a 10 to 15 minute cooldown after the fact.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:09:18]: That way you know exactly what the what the time allotment is from start to finish, and that can help to just ensure that you get it done in the time frame that you have. You know, it's not that big of a difference, but it it honestly, when you when you actually put it into practice, It does save some time because whatever whatever reason, whenever I go out to do a workout, when it's an interval workout like that, it always takes me a lot longer than I expect. So when I have just the timed standards where I'm just kinda going through the motions and you're getting it done, then that's where it gets by gets done a lot quicker, And, I have an idea of when I'll be finished. That was what like I just mentioned, my workout this morning was 2 minutes on, 1 minute easy, and for 12 intervals of that. And so the it was nice because I just kinda kept going continuously until I finished, so I didn't have a lot of stops things to think about in between, and I knew exactly what that time was gonna take to to be done with it because I had 12 by 3 minutes, basically. And so I know exactly what that how much time that's gonna be, and so that's one of those ways that we can just, Really have it laid out in a way that's simpler and, more time effective.

Cory Nagler [00:10:34]: Yeah. I've done that same workout, and it's fantastic because it's 36 minutes of work, adding in some warm up and cool down to that, and it's a great workout.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:10:43]: Yeah. 100%.

Cory Nagler [00:10:45]: And I think you mentioned as well, there's a tool that RC uses, to help you measure how long the workout's gonna take.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:10:52]: Yeah. So in our RC schedules, You the workouts and things like that will give an estimated time that it will take to complete. Those ones actually, I think, include some time for, you you know, being able to get to the bathroom or do drills or whatever it is that you do as part of your warm up. So it includes even more than just the running portion. So it's a nice tool. It's a Cool. It's a useful tool for kind of the all in picture of, like, okay. Well, if I did take a little bit of time to to, you know, go to the bathroom after my warm up before I start my workout or if I have all these other things that I need to fit in.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:11:23]: It it kinda already includes that, and and then also includes the the distance and the time that it'll take based on the paces. So it's a pretty cool tool that our athletes have to their advantage, and, you know, sometimes it's gonna be less than that depending about on how much time they take in between, getting started on the actual workout portion. So but it's a nice tool for them to you'll be able to see generally about what how much time they need to allot. And that way, if they need to cut anything or you'll go a little shorter in different places, that's fine. The only caveat I always say with When you're working with workouts and you're trying to save time is to not cut your cool down, completely. It's okay to go a little bit shorter, But don't skip it. Don't skip the cooldown. I that's one thing that has a huge impact on your recovery.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:12:09]: And so if you can at least get 5 to 10 minutes in, that's better than nothing. So as the one thing that I'd say, if you're trying to cut Corners on any workouts and you have a time kind of and you're running into a wall, try not to let the cooldown you know, you're better off probably cutting an interval than you are cutting the cooldown Entirely.

Cory Nagler [00:12:28]: Yeah. And I appreciate that you added that because I think the goal is really how do you maximize your time and get the most out of it, not Cutting pieces that are gonna add value and make you more fit come race day.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:12:38]: Mhmm. Yep.

Cory Nagler [00:12:41]: So the next tip I want to get into is Wearing layers, and then going straight to the gym after your run. Is this something you've tried?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:12:49]: Yeah. I so I always bring I'll bring up backup clothes, And then I would I've done the thing where I'm, like, at a stoplight, and I'm changing into the thing that I'm gonna wear to the gym so that I'm prepared From that perspective, it is nice. I I do find that I'm better at getting moving and going through the motions and stuff when I Go straight to the gym after I run, and I just I'm better at knocking everything out, and all that stuff just becomes a little easier. So this is something that I definitely used to do when I was working in an office setting where I was always prepared from that perspective Of, you know, having different different clothes and different things to be ready for whatever. And if I'm going indoors, yeah, you can wear a tank top underneath the long sleeve if it's cold out. That way you can strip the long sleeve, do your workout, put the long sleeve back on, or or whatever it ends up being. One of the things I also used to do was run To the gym and do a workout and then run back as part of my run, and, that was kind of because I would run-in the morning, and then I double at lunchtime, and so I would make my I'd kinda combine my hour to get 30 minutes of gym session in and, about 30 minutes of running, so that took my lunch hour over. And that was one of the ways I used to do it was, you know, by layering up and then running to the gym.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:14:10]: So that can be a good way to save time is to actually use that as Part of your running is just the to and from if you're close enough to the gym. But either way, yeah, finding you know, having having layers or clothes or things like that can make things a little bit simpler.

Cory Nagler [00:14:25]: Yeah. And I used to do that as well running to the gym. But, now that I live in a condo that has a gym, I've kind of adapted that, which is If I'm short on time, sometimes I'll use the treadmill, and then the gym is right there for you.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:14:36]: Oh, yeah. That's perfect. That works out great too.

Cory Nagler [00:14:40]: Yeah. I, not a fan of the treadmill, but in a pinch, it saves a lot of time.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:14:44]: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Same.

Cory Nagler [00:14:47]: Cool. So the the next time saving hack, I think, is another one that's big, not just for runners, but for just about anybody who's looking to maximize their time. And that's get lots of portable healthy snacks, like granola bars and nuts. You have Quick access to them. How do you think this helps, both to save time and and just in general to to fuel yourself?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:15:11]: Yes. This was probably the biggest thing that I maximized on when I was working in, an office setting. So, I used to I actually used to have this, Tupperware container, and this is gonna sound nerdy, but, I love cereal, first of all. And the top of our container was, like, 4 cereal, and so it had a bottom layer that was for the cereal, and then it had a top piece that screwed on that had an ice pack around this cup so you could put milk in it. So what I would do is I would put the milk in the cup. I'd have my cereal, and then I'd bring protein powder with me. So when I got to work after the after I did my workout and got ready and went into the office, I would mix the protein powder into the milk, pour it over my cereal so then I got my carbs and my protein. So it was a good way to get my post workout fuel in, and I could kind of I had it there because I find that a lot of runners will this is a reason they skip their post workout fueling is the timepiece, and so I always kinda just had that prepared ahead of time.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:16:11]: I also used to pack my lunch the night before with everything that I needed. And, again, yeah, like, lots of those Healthy snacks and things like that are are beneficial. So knowing what you you like to feel with after a run and then finding ways and then maybe just stick it in the blender the morning of. That kinda stuff can be really a quick way to do that. Protein bars, ones that you like that you will eat, you know, following a a hard training session, you know, it's not gonna you don't need to have the most optimal thing. Anything's gonna be better than nothing. So Finding a good protein bar that you enjoy, that tastes good, that you can stomach and put down, that still has, a good ratio of carbs to protein is gonna be perfect. We don't have to worry as much about the sugar component after a run anyway, especially a harder effort because your body needs that at that point.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:17:08]: So, you know, just kind of being flexible with what you fuel with and at least having something quick and whatever it is that you can bring with you, to make sure that happens, this is gonna pay off so much more because it's gonna it's gonna improve your recovery time, which ultimately saves you time because you'll feel better the next day. Right? So you'll if you have a recovery run the next day, maybe you you'll feel a little bit better. You'll have, you'll run it a little bit faster. Not that you're trying to, but, you know, things like that. We just wanna make sure that you're always getting getting the recovery in, and And the fueling part is a huge way to do that, so it's one that we don't wanna skip on. And that's why, you know, having these things at your disposal is super, super important. I used to have everything ready to go the night before. I, you know, I packed myself overnight oats for the next day as a snack.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:17:59]: So I had things that I liked to eat, and I would have all of them ready to go. And I'd pack extra snacks, extra bars, and things like for just in case I was hungrier one day than another. And, so it's just kind of having that preparedness. And if the mornings tend to be crazy, do it the night before.

Cory Nagler [00:18:17]: Yeah. And this is something I always do is do it the night before just you're ready. And I think one of the pieces is not just having Items that themselves are quick, but I think it's avoiding that scenario where you have to go out of your way. So, if hunger strikes and you don't have that protein bar, that protein shake right there. It can take you a lot longer to go out and get 1 than if it's right in your bag. So that that emergency snack, sometimes comes in handy.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:18:39]: Yeah. And, yeah, and the other thing is the the better that you are about packing these things and then getting them in as soon as possible, the better that you are at fueling the rest of the day. We tend to eat Less healthy when we are kind of not prepared. We just you know, your body is hungry, and it's it's needing some stuff. So you'll have these, just kind of like cortisol spikes. Your body starts craving things, and and a lot of times, that that ends up being us having to go for the quickest available option, which is not always the best later on in the day. And so, you know, just having even these these healthy snacks and things ready at your disposal immediately Will really help your fueling for the rest of the day, so this is, like, a huge thing to really, be mindful of when it comes to preparedness and And saving time. So Yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:19:28]: I think it's win win, and this is one that not only saves time, but can actually enhance performance because you're you're having Food readily available for you right there that's going to fuel and presumably be healthy if you're putting the phone in advance to make sure that it's there for you.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:19:41]: Yep. For sure.

Cory Nagler [00:19:43]: Okay. That's a great one. The next tip I wanna get into relates to some of the workout advice we gave earlier. But that's programming your workout into your watch in advance to cut down on time. So, obviously, not every watch can do this. This requires some form of a smartwatch. But what are your thoughts on using this as a time saving hack?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:20:04]: Yeah. I I actually love this. I'm my watch connects to my workout platform. And so when I go to do a workout, I can just press start workout. And so, today, that was so easy with today's workout being 2 minutes on, 1 minute off Or 1 minute easy because it, I just followed whatever the watch said, and it started and stopped me. And it told me when I was done my warm up, and so All of that made it really simple to follow, and I wasn't having to go check and see, okay, what's the workout? What's what's my paces and all that? It just actually shows up directly on your watch, And that's also something that our athletes have at their disposal for RC is that the, we have it set up. So Garmin watches, I think, it they download directly to the watch, so same thing. It you can you can get the workout loaded on your watch, and it and it tells you the steps and all that stuff so you can all see all that stuff in real time, and that just it just makes it easier too.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:20:56]: You don't you're not checking to see exactly what you have to do and because it'll tell you it'll tell you if you're in range on the paces that you're supposed to be hitting. It'll tell you to whatever it's you're supposed to be doing in the in between. So It's a good tool for just, you know, ease of ease of use so that you're you're able to kinda just focus on the workout, get it done, and not have to stop and start and stuff like that.

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Cory Nagler [00:23:54]: And I will add for the ease of use piece. This actually becomes almost a necessity for me in the wintertime because having to push that lap button every time you transition when you're wearing gloves or sometimes multiple layers of gloves is not easy.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:24:06]: Oh, yeah. I can imagine. We don't I don't have nearly have that much problem for that, but, it's definitely nice to not have to to be checking it and and pressing buttons and all that good stuff.

Cory Nagler [00:24:17]: Yeah. I think the other pieces in addition to your prep time before, I I find it can save time during the workout. Because a lot of the time Let's say you're building in 2 minutes rest. There's that kind of anywhere from 10 to 30 second mental transition getting into it. Whereas when you have a watch, that's switching right after you're getting right into it.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:24:35]: Right. You you have to be ready when it says go or or you're gonna be or your interval will be a little thrown off. So That's very true. You can't really milk the recoveries more than more than a set. No.

Cory Nagler [00:24:46]: And I I've kind of cheated sometimes and put in an extra, like, 2 to 5 seconds just because I know I need that, like, few steps to pick up. But either way, at least it's, like, fixed, and I'm forced when it transitions.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:24:56]: Yep. A 100%.

Cory Nagler [00:24:58]: What do you make of some of the workouts that are a little bit more challenging to program into the watch? Because I find it's great for something like a 12 by 2 minutes. That's consistent, but it can take some more time if there's more variability in the workout. Do you recommend ATHLETES repeat workouts. Do they modify it a little? What's the best way to kinda overcome that time?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:25:20]: Yeah. There's definitely, Like, because there's workouts, like, that are more they're they've just got more difficulty or challenge to them to to kinda actually program. Like these are this will be this is easiest with types of workouts where it's like the same interval and you're repeating it several times as opposed to one where you're doing, You know, say you're doing, like, I don't know, a mile and then a rest, and then you're doing in 1,000 and then a rest and then an 800. Those ladder type workouts, I think, can get a little cumbersome for actually planning into the workout. The other ones that I find, I don't use the workout feature when I'm on the track because the track and the GPS just don't line up very well. And so if you do that, you'll find yourself Having the workout kind of start to it'll you'll hit a mile, and you won't have hit a mile yet. It'll, most of the time, be short. So, whenever I'm doing a track workout, I have to forego this part.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:26:17]: I have to forego the workout on my watch because it won't be accurate. But if you're not doing it on a track, most workouts will be fine as long as you have good GPS and you're in a location where you'll get good GPS because you gotta remember that, If you're doing anything that's distance based, that you're 100% relying on the GPS being accurate and on target. This morning even, I was having some weird numbers where it would go from it would be giving me, like, oh, you're in zone, and then all of a sudden, it'd be way outside of the zone. So I didn't really know 100%. But if you're kinda just if you can these are this is great for workouts where you know what the effort feels like. It's great for practicing what effort feels like. So, Having these set in there, you're having to rely on your own effort because GPS is not always gonna be a 100% accurate, so Anything where you're gonna be able to do that is fantastic. Tempo workouts are great for this thing for this type of approach too because They're just consistent efforts for a long for a period of time, so you're not putting in it's not complicated to put in.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:27:21]: It can also be good for hill workouts. The challenge with hill workouts is the recovery back down. You kind of have to program them in without Out an endpoint. If your, if your, if your workout is like a hill and then you jog back down as your recovery, it's hard, and The GPS sometimes doesn't match up, so you'll go up and it might be longer than it is coming back down. So in that case, I Oftentimes we'll put the recovery in as lap splits. You'll have to lap split the watch, which can get a little bit cumbersome as well. These are there's just some things that can be a little bit variable with using this feature, and so, I would stay sick to the simpler workouts or the interval type or That are consistent intervals throughout or, tempo type things, those are gonna do really well with this type of, technology.

Cory Nagler [00:28:11]: Yeah. And I I think in general, I find that time based sometimes works better than distance based just because of the GPS being a little bit off.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:28:18]: Mhmm.

Cory Nagler [00:28:18]: Especially on the track. I actually love that 12 by 2 minute workout you mentioned doing that on the track, and then building in the time and the watch. It doesn't matter if the GPS is off.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:28:27]: Right. 100%. Your splits may look faster if the because of the the way that the GPS is picking up, but you're still going off effort. So, and you can kind of tell too when you're on the track, because you can check your watch to see where your splits are in some ways. So, yeah, there's definitely some some ways you can do it on the track. It's just being mindful of the GPS not being 100%.

Cory Nagler [00:28:51]: Yeah. Definitely. The other thing I've tried for the, hill workouts is building in a little extra time, and then you do the little u churn when you get to the bottom. But, obviously, it's Not as much fun as being able to start the moment you get to the bottom.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:29:04]: Yeah. I I've done it where because if I've done where I've had hills that are, like, say, like, 8 by 200 and 200 meter jog back down. And when the watch has that preset 200 meters jog back down, it'll I will stop the watch before it clicks for me to go back up the hill and get to the starting point, and then I'll start my watch again. So my it's technically correct because if it told me it was 100 meters up, then starting and stopping in the same place, it should also be 200 meters down. So I just am like, well, technically, I'm getting more rest, But not really because the GPS wasn't right. So, yeah, that's what I typically do with I'll just stop the watch and and get to the starting point. So I'll just start always at the same spot no matter what. Yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:29:50]: That's probably the best way to do it if you're doing distance on the hill repeat, but, as a Lazy runner. I don't like the extra button clicks.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:29:57]: Yeah. Or because because it gives you also more room for error of messing up the the button clicks. So yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:30:03]: That's true. Yeah. I've definitely had that where you realize you had it on pause at the end of the workout, and then, if it's not on strep after, it didn't happen.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:30:11]: Yeah. When you accidentally hit the pause button instead of the lap split button, and then you just you look down, you're like, shoot.

Cory Nagler [00:30:20]: Disclaimer as I move on to the next one, that the fitness definitely still counts if it's not on Strava.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:30:25]: It's still there. It's still there.

Cory Nagler [00:30:27]: Absolutely. Okay. The, the next one is 1 I think a lot of people may have heard of, but that's run commuting to work.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:30:35]: Yeah. This is definitely I know and I Being where I live, you don't see people running a lot to work. But I I had a friend who lives in Chicago, And I remember being we were running together before a race, and I wanted to bring my bag with my shoes down so I could do some strides afterwards. And she showed me how to, like, actually put the backpack, because it was one of those drawstring bags and how you can wrap it and put it on so that it's tighter and fitted so it doesn't feel like the bag is, like, swaying back and forth. So that actually can be something that can help is if you wanna run commute, Having a good bag for it, I think, and and then knowing exactly how to wear it. I know there's backpacks that have the clips and things like that, so those can be really easy and really valuable if you're running commuting to work because it just makes it simpler for, it makes it so that the bag is not shuffling back and forth, which can throw off your form, and We don't want the run commute to end up being counterproductive to our training because we're kind of doing something weird with our body in order to counteract the the bag on our back. So those are the types of things that I think about. It does help if you have a shower, which I think in a lot of bigger cities, The there are showers in a lot of places because they they they want people to do more multimodal transportation.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:31:52]: In the area that I live in, it's Hit or miss whether or not you have a shower at your office. So, that's one of the challenges. When I, or I used to work downtown, I was pretty close to my where I where I lived for where I worked, but there was a shower in the gym, so I would sometimes go and use that. And that was an easy way for me to kind of Do all the things I needed to do. And this kind of also ties into me running to the gym during lunchtime is that I'd run to the gym, do my workout, run back, take a quick shower, And, you know, be back up in the office in just a matter of, you know, 15, 20 minutes after, finishing all of that up. So that was, that was super nice. But it's it's kind of one of those things that if if you have the ability, go for it. You can also join, if there's a gym nearby your office You work in.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:32:39]: That's also a really great way to have a shower or something nearby. That way, if you're doing your training or any of those things, and you wanna get it done in the morning, you can always go, stop by the gym. So I know I have I've had a client who's He's just used the gym as the shower, done his workout and then, jumped, ran over to, the gym and taken a quick shower before heading into the office. So there's some workarounds there. There's some ways you can make it work, but, definitely a nice way to save yourself a little time. I used to actually bike to work. And that was just nice because I get a little extra cross training and, easier To get in and out of the office on the bike than I was driving. So for me, it was it was easier.

Cory Nagler [00:33:25]: Yeah. And I think with the bike, it makes it a little easier if you have Carry things as well. I know for myself, I often have the the work laptop and charger, and then all those snacks and meals that we talked about as well can be tough on their own.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:33:37]: Oh, yeah. Yeah. You you'll it's almost like running with a weight vest, with all that stuff. So yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:33:44]: Yeah. It really is. If, if you're a runner who finds that the mileage doesn't really line up with what you want, say, work is a little bit too far, Or you've hit your mileage goal on the way there and obviously still need a way of getting back. How do you think you manage some of those logistics?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:34:02]: So one thing my mom used to bike to work, and so she had a pretty decent commute. So one thing that I think she used to alternate where she would Bike one way and drive back. So she'd leave her car at one of the locations. So that was the way that she managed that. So she'd, she'd kind of, you know, Do do 1 option 1 morning, and then she'd drive home. And then the next day, she'd drive 2 and then bike back. So that can be a good way because Otherwise, your your your run commute could be you know, you'd be putting doing some pretty good mileage between running to and from every single day. So that could end up adding up to be a lot.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:34:36]: So that can be a good way to manage that, to make sure that you're not overdoing it from From that perspective, that's probably my the easiest way to get around that. Yeah. That that's that is probably one of the the more challenging things. You could also use, use that cross training. You could do something like that as well. Whatever works best. So

Cory Nagler [00:35:02]: Yeah. As a side note, I think there's some added challenges built in with the hybrid model. Maybe depends on the flexibility of your manager, but I'm not sure how it comes across. If you say I can't come to work tomorrow, it's my rest day.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:35:14]: Yeah. That would be a a challenge, so you'd kinda have to figure out a good way around that. I think I think the way that my mom used to also work it around was too they'd have So they'd have certain people, they they kind of work together because she used to work for a bicycling company, so a lot of people were biking and and doing stuff like this. So, Yeah. They would kinda alternate and some people some 1 person may drive one day and all that kind of stuff. So it made it super convenient for her, but not everyone has that luxury. So it's just Kinda figuring out what's the easiest way to work around this and and having a good system for yourself. So

Cory Nagler [00:35:50]: Yeah. I think this is one that can save you a lot of time if it works well. But oftentimes I find I generally don't run commute to work just because there's some Extra logistics to work through.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:36:01]: Yeah. And, you know, also because, you know, safety, depending on how easy it is for you to get into your office, you have Good a good route that you can take, that's a that can be a challenge. You know, I lived a half a mile, so I had a great, you know, route to take, all on sidewalk, but not everyone else is not everyone's gonna have that option, and so, that can be something that can make things a little bit challenging. There's, you know, there is also to think about, like, can you do can you, you know, drive part of the way? Is there a spot where you could park your car that's safer that you could run from? That's also an option to cut down on the distance and improve the safety. So those are things you can also if there's any places that are like the park and rides or something like that, that's something to think out as well.

Cory Nagler [00:36:44]: Yep. Yeah. I think those are all great tips.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:36:47]: Mhmm.

Cory Nagler [00:36:47]: Okay. Getting into our next time saving hack. I've got setting a deadline or alarm to start your runs. You're not tempted to drag out the pre run routine. What do you think about using this tactic?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:37:00]: This is something I run into. I feel like nowadays because I have, like, such a flexible schedule now That I I I sometimes will just kinda take my time doing things. And this morning, it was one of the that was kinda similar where I was, Didn't I hadn't thought about the timing of everything that I had to do today, and then it started kinda collapsing on top of me. And I was like, oh, no. I gotta get out and do this now. And had I had a little bit better peace of mind of, like, I need to start by this time, I would have been fine. So this is definitely a huge tip that, whether or not you're you're short on time or you're just trying to get a better, balance in in timing and and just kinda not procrastinating, this is This is helpful. You know, having that already planned out for you, like, I have to start.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:37:47]: At the very latest, I have to be out the door By this time, nothing else can can happen. I think that's a good way to stay accountable to it. And just having that reminder is Really fantastic. I need to start doing this myself, probably.

Cory Nagler [00:38:01]: Yeah. I I use it on occasion because sometimes it's helpful. The other thing I've done is I've found Like if I make specific plans with friends, then I'm kind of obligated. Or if you're meeting up with the run club, there's a specific time. The the only drawback to that is oftentimes when those runs become social, they can get dragged out themselves. You have to be careful if your goal is to save time that you're actually ending on time.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:38:23]: Oh, yeah. For sure. It's there's the there's the benefit of, you know, you you have to be accountable to accountable to the people you're meeting with, but then you can't let the time drag on any farther than it, than it already is. So, that is definitely The the kind of figuring out where you wanna fall in between that. If you have friends that are on top of it and have the same, work life, That's perfect. You know? Go ahead and meet up and and run from home. And I I used to have a friend that I used to be able to meet up, and we'd meet up in the middle of our run. So we'd have to split off before we were back to our houses.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:38:58]: So we weren't, we weren't able to chit chat. And so that worked out great because we would Get to our spot where we'd split and we'd just wave goodbye and then run our opposite directions. And that was that was a good way for me to get the mileage in, and It also prevented me from sleeping in on some mornings. So I used to work, I used to wake up at 4 or 4:30 and start my run by 4:30 or 5 so that I could get the the run-in before work at 7. And when I would there's days where I wasn't as motivated to get out And those so I tried to have a couple days a week where I found someone that would was willing and crazy enough to get up and run at 5, and That helped with the the getting out the door and being motivated on those days so that the days when I was by myself didn't feel quite as daunting because I only had a few of them I had to do on my own. So, yeah, that can be a really nice way to, you know, just have some some something to look forward to and accountability and stuff like that.

Cory Nagler [00:39:54]: Yeah. I'm I'm an early riser as well. I think typically on workout days where I need a little more time, it's often they average maybe 5:30 in the morning when I'll start, and Hard to find somebody to join that, but, I did have one time where for a session, I had somebody, I guess, on a similar schedule. And they said, well, can you do 5:15? And I jumped on that opportunity because when it's pitch Black early morning, it makes a big difference to have somebody there?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:40:15]: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I there's times too where I don't I don't need to wake up, but one of my friends is going early, and I'm like, you know what? That's fine. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna get this out. I'm gonna get it knocked out. I'm gonna have it done with, and it'll be it'll be nice to get the day started earlier because Now I have so I don't need to get up if I don't have to. And, so it's good.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:40:34]: I actually sometimes like to just have somebody Be like, I have to go pretty early if you wanna come. And I'm, like, yeah. Let's do it. Then I can help them, and they can help me. So

Cory Nagler [00:40:44]: I should add, we've been talking a lot about morning runs, but I think this works well at lunchtime or evening. If you know, hey. I have to get going to get back to work lunch or you gotta prepare dinner afterwards, I think any time of day this can be effective.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:40:57]: Oh, for sure. Yeah. Okay.

Cory Nagler [00:40:59]: So I'm gonna get into now what is our last time saving hack of the day that I have down. And this is a fun one that actually came to us from one of our coaches here, Haley. And she says, if you have a pet, consider taking them along on your run to save time from needing to walk them later. Andi, do you have or have you had pets and tried this?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:41:17]: I so I used to have my old dog. She used to run with me a good deal in the mornings when she was younger, and, That was nice because, yeah, she was one of those dogs that was super anxious, and so getting some energy out of her in the morning before I left for work was really helpful for kind of getting her to be a little less stressed. She was still pretty anxious and had separation anxiety, but it did help to get some of her, her anxiety out a little bit and helped also helped to get her active and and moving. And so that was a really nice way. The dogs my current pets, None of them. They have their own little issues that makes it really challenging to run with them. 1 of them is is just scared of the world and people, And the other one is the opposite where she's she just was, like, just goes out into the world. Like, she's never seen anything in her entire life ever, and it's just like, oh my gosh.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:42:11]: So she's just Zigzagging all over the place. So that's, that can be a challenge with, with pets if, if you, and, but if you've trained your dog well and you can run with them, I recommend getting a belt leash. That was the easiest way for me to run with my dog because when you're running and you have a handheld leash, it can impact your running form a little bit because especially if dog pulls or turns or does things like that, your arm's gonna go with it. You also don't have the same, arm drive back and forth when you're running with your dog in that way. So I liked having the belt leash because it was around my waist. It actually kind of helped a little bit to get me a little bit forward in my posture. So that was actually pretty nice. Careful if your dog Pulls because that can also that can though have the opposite effect, where if it's around your waist, you may be pulling backwards, And they that may not be super effective for your running form because you're kind of leaning back into the strap.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:43:07]: So just be mindful of those types of things if your dog's a puller, you know, be careful with how often you do that, so, and maybe just do shorter runs. The other thing is that, you know, some dogs can go shorter and some dogs can go longer. Maybe you take your dog on your warm up and your cool down, But you do your workout portions, you know, alone or you have, you know, certain sets of mileage that you do just with the dog. I used to take, Once my dog was starting to get older, my old one, I would take her on doubles only. So we she would just do, like, 3 or 4 miles with me. And that was an easy way to still get her some exercise and get her moving. But it's kinda, yeah, you kinda have to balance out how and when and, and all that good stuff and, try not to just, you know, do a ton of it with your dog. Try not to add a ton of mileage just so you can run your dog.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:44:00]: Try to make it part of your run or or whatever you can to kind of put the 2 together.

Cory Nagler [00:44:06]: Yeah. I'm curious because I I've never run with a dog myself. When you say shorter runs or lower mileage, how much running can some of these different breeds handle?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:44:17]: I that's a good question because I don't know. I think there are some dogs that are better suited for longer distances and and are better suited at at running for and all that kind of stuff. Also depends on the pace. You know, if I think, for some dogs, you know, they could be running alongside of you, and, I mean, their pace is so much faster that it's not as daunting. It's not as hard for them, so they wouldn't necessarily be working as hard. It's almost like a fast walk for them. So, But you do wanna be mindful of joints and things like that. Also, the age of the dog.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:44:47]: So I didn't start running with my dog until she was at least a year old. So her 1st her 1st year was more leash training, so we did a lot of, we would when we would go for runs or go for walks, We would she would I made her go to the bathroom before we started, and then walking was for exercise, so, We avoided, sniffing and stopping and doing all these things. That way, they were more concise. So she had a time and a place to do those things, and then We would do our walks and then that converted to running so that when we were on runs, we would go to the bathroom before and we'd go for our run And it would be consistent, and then we'd be done because the challenge with if you take your dog for a run and they're stopping all the time, that's gonna make your run Significantly longer. So you wanna be have you know, have some training with your dog before you attempt to take them running with you. And then, yeah, it really depends on, you know, what your dog can handle. My dog, she was pretty fit. So she was doing she'd I'd run with her every other day So that it wasn't too much, but she was running, you know, somewhere around 68 miles with me, every other day.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:45:56]: And, the max she ever did was 13. When she started to not want to do it, she would just stop, but this started happening after We had stopped running because she had a little cut on her paw, so I didn't run with her for a while. And then when we were trying we were getting back in the swing, I started only taking her on 3 4 mile runs. And, after a while, she was just didn't wanna do it anymore. So she would run a mile, stop. And I remember having I had to carry her 2 miles back to my house one time, she's 40 pounds, so I got a good workout out of that. So be, you know, you wanna pay attention to your dog's cues and they're, and they're, and you wanna make sure that you're, they're staying healthy, so Monitor their, their breathing in the summer. Be very careful with how often you take them out.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:46:40]: That's the, the thing is that they'll get overheated pretty quickly And you don't. And so if they're a furrier dog, more fur, heavier coated, you gotta be really careful in the summertime. So, and dogs are one of those breeds that just or dogs are just one of those animals that really wanna make you happy, so sometimes they won't necessarily tell you if they're not enjoying it or not having or they don't wanna keep going. So you gotta be able to, to have your limits with that and, be mindful of it so that you can protect your, your animal. So

Cory Nagler [00:47:10]: Yeah. Really good note to be extra cautious there. Especially not related to dogs, but I've seen a lot of people adopt a similar tactic where you get the the running stroller if you have a younger kid to take them Again, also something I haven't tried myself, but I'm sure you have to be pretty vigilant to to see if they're handling it. Maybe don't go out for that 13 mile run.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:47:29]: Yeah, I know, and I always feel like people who are pushing shoulders are, that there it's amazing to me because that looks so challenging. To be able to do that takes a lot of strength, so more power to the people who are able to do that and are are getting out there and doing it. You know, that's one of those things you may be a little bit slower, but you're getting the benefit of you're getting some good strength training in pushing that stroller the entire time. And so it but it also makes it so that you can get your runs in, still have you and have your kids with you. And but, yeah, you're gonna have to pay attention to The length of time and how well the kids are handling it and that kind of stuff. And these are things that I haven't, you know, ever haven't approached yet, so I don't know The ins and outs of that, but I still I still find it amazing whenever I see people out there doing it. So if you're doing that, more power to you.

Cory Nagler [00:48:16]: Yeah. Absolutely incredible. And, not speaking from personal experience, but I do think it also warrants extra travokudos if you can include dog or, or baby pics in your post.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:48:26]: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. It's, you know, I loved running with my dog and she seemed to really enjoy it as well, until she kind of was like over it. But, yeah, I, it's, it's definitely fun to be able to have and have them bring them along and enjoy it with you. It's just kind of keep it within means and and make sure they're still having fun.

Cory Nagler [00:48:47]: Yeah. Definitely. Alright. So that's the last one we had on our list. I won't drag this out too much because our topic of the day is saving time. But before we wrap up, are there any final time saving hacks or Little changes you can make to save a little time that you wanna add in?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:49:02]: Yeah. There's, like, small things you can do, you know, in terms of making sure you still get a warm up in before you run, Doing you know, having, like, a concise 5 minute warm up routine can be really helpful with, you know, glute activation, something that's time based. You really know exactly how long it's gonna take you. You can knock it out really quickly right before you start your run so that you're not skimping on some of the ancillary stuff. On on that same note, Strides are one of those things that we see a lot of people who will say, you know, I'm I don't I did not I skipped strides because they ran out of time. One way you can still include strides is Do them within the last mile of your run, and the way that I've done this before is by doing a 22nd stride, just picking up the pace, focusing on my form, not worried about pace, and then 40 2nd jog in between and doing that, you know, say 6 times or 4 times or whatever it is on my schedule for that, and that's a nice way to Just use it as part of your run, and you still get the strides and you still get the benefit. The goal with that is to make sure you do it towards the end of the run, so and then, you know, we're gonna have to do it when you're in a while you're in a more fatigued state, and so that's an easy way to keep that in there. Plus you get the jog recovery, so your last mile might also be a little bit faster, which means you'll finish a little bit faster.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:50:23]: So that's a nice time saving thing. So that's one of the recommendations I make to, you know, make sure we're still getting some of that ancillary stuff in By having a warm up routine, having the strides as part of your run. And then the last thing I'll say is, you know, having tools with you that maybe you can use when you get to work. So, I really like my massage ball, but if you don't have a massage ball, even a tennis ball works. You can you can roll out your glute while sitting in your chair, roll out your back or hamstring and stuff like that. Those are easy ways to use that. You can roll out the arch of your foot, by using the ball kind of on the floor. So, and, and they fit really easily into a backpack or a bag.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:51:02]: So you can just tuck them away in there and have those at your disposal, and they're just easy to kind of use while you're just sitting at work. So if you have an office job where you're sitting a lot, those are some things you can utilize to still get some of that recovery, those recovery tools in there. And it's not you know, having a little massage ball is a lot easier than having to carry a foam roller, so, You know, having some of those tools might actually be beneficial for your overall recovery and overall training as a whole. So, yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:51:30]: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. It doesn't even have to be at the office. If you're at home, it's probably all the all the easier to have these tools around.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:51:36]: Mhmm. Oh, for sure. Yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:51:38]: No. Those are some great tips. I think I've tried a lot of these myself and some other great ones that I'll add myself, but, excited to hopefully Getting some some good training and saving time while we're at it. Thanks, Andy.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:51:49]: Yeah. Yeah. This is fun.

Cory Nagler [00:51:51]: Awesome. This was great. RC listeners, thank you so much. Hopefully, we can save you a little time, and happy running.

Finn Melanson [00:52:12]: Thanks for listening to the Run to the Top podcast. I'm your host, Finn Melanson. As always, our mission here is to help you become a Better runner with every episode. Please consider connecting with me on Instagram at Wasatch Finn and the rest of our team at runners connect. Also consider supporting Our show for free with a rating on the Spotify and Apple Podcast players. And lastly, if you love the show and want bonus content, behind the scenes experiences with our guests, Premier access to contests and giveaways, and subscribe to our newsletter by going to runnersconnect.netback/podcast. Until next time, happy trading.